The Three R’s (of Sustainability)?
The Three R’s (of Sustainability)?
Join us for our next meeting: Wednesday, Feb. 12, in CASTL.
We all know the three R’s of education: reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic. Everyone also probably knows the three R’s of sustainability: reduce, reuse, recycle. But is that enough? Others have proposed a number of other R words to add to our vocabulary when thinking about sustainability.
Refuse is one of the first that comes to mind. Do not accept additional packaging, superfluous wrapping, or unnecessary materials; this leads to a reduction in the waste stream because it doesn’t enter it in the first place.
Return. Certain items are best left to the professionals to deal with their next life. See if there is a return policy on items. Many car parts have a core charge associated with them and they can be returned for that money.
Repair an item before throwing it away. In the good old days there were repair shops, many appliances seem to lose value so rapidly and parts are so expensive and repair shops so sparse that no one bothers. But it is worth attempting. For instance recently I had a microwave arc and spark inside. Rather than discarding I recognized that a small mica sheet that reflects back the waves had a hole burned through it. I took the sheet to an appliance store and for a few bucks it was replaced and I repaired it, good as new.
Restore. Why not keep that old chair? A little creativity may give it a whole new lease on life.
Re-purpose. Yankee ingenuity was a matter of pride in the past. Perhaps you are not going to go out and fabricate a sawmill from a Model T engine and some steel wheels but there are many practical uses for materials to extend their life and thus extend the time until they are finally retired. A clear plastic container may be used as a mini-greenhouse seed starter, a large plastic pail becomes the starting point for your worm farm.
Re-think. Put more thought into your purchases. Consider the fate of materials you may no longer want/use. It is free to put an ad on sites such as Craigslist.org and the saying of one’s man’s trash is another’s treasure surely holds true there in the “free” section. There is another site called freecycle.org that also facilitates this.
Read. Hey, I tricked you. You are already doing that. The more you know the better prepared you will be to lead a more sustainable life.
Please respond (yet another R) to the recent survey prompt in the Daily Post regarding your transportation uses as the University is trying to determine its total fuel usage and the practicality of alternative transportation modes. Here is the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5BYN89S for those that may have missed it earlier.